Page 63 of Rayne
I stare at him wide-eyed, completely perplexed at his line of thought. Clearing my throat, I put my hands firmly on his chest as a warning.
"It's not about Nick," I tell him. "Or anyone. I'm just not into you like that."
Elijah looks hurt again. "Seriously? I thought there was a connection here. Are you saying there isn't?"
"A work connection, sure," I answer, trying to defuse the situation. "But I've never tried to make any advances at you."
He blinks slowly. "We could just give it a try? We can take it slow."
Take it slow? I don't think he realizes the meaning of it.
"I'm not interested," I say more firmly. "You're concerning me. Can you please step back?"
I'm too terrified to tell him what I'm really feeling. I'm fucking scared.
I barely know this guy. We've only worked together for a short amount of time and I'm alone with him in an office.
Suddenly, Hawk's words come back to me, finally making sense…
"You're so blinded by the world that you see what you want to see. Stop and consider the possibility that people aren't always what they seem."
Is this what he meant? He was enraged yesterday when I had a drink with Elijah, adamant that he was bad news.
"Why would you willingly stay behind in an office, alone, drinking with someone you don't know?"
Oh, my fucking God. I'm an idiot.
Elijah still doesn't move, not convinced that I'm telling the truth. "It's okay to be scared. But rest assured, I did the research. There's no policies in place that co-workers can't date here, and statistically, people are able to continue to work together when having a personal relationship. Honestly, we're both mature and professional, it would be fine."
This guy is really trying to convince both of us that we're in love or something. Panic is flooding through me as I try to figure out a way to resolve this without escalating the situation.
My fingers twitch as I resist the urge to slap him. But physically, I know I'm no match if he fights back. I have no idea how to defend myself.
Staring around his arm, I spot my cell on the desk. If I can just get to it and call for help…
"Why don't you go do what you needed to do and we'll walk out together?" I say firmly, trying to find a way to get to the cell.
Elijah raises an eyebrow. "I just wanted to kiss you first before we left. Honestly, it's just one kiss. Please?"
I shake my head. "No, Elijah. I'm sorry, but the answer is no." I keep my voice strong—standing my ground despite the fear begging me to give in. I can't let him, because the moment I allow something like that, I'm opening myself up to more trouble.
"Rayne," he says, annoyance in his voice. "It's just a kiss to see if we have chemistry. Stop making a big deal out of this."
His lips slam onto mine again, and I fight back against him, clenching my mouth together so tight that pain radiates up my cheeks. I hear him scoff with frustration and his hand comes up over my top—Jett's shirt—squeezing my breast.
I gasp in shock and disgust, unfortunately giving him the access he is looking for. His tongue thrusts into my mouth but it's not the same feeling of dominance that Hawk and Jett use. Elijah is sloppy, rough—our teeth banging together as he follows my darting face around.
Fight back… I tell myself. Fucking fight back. Don't let him do this.
Swinging my knee up so violently that my pencil skirt rips up the side, I knee Elijah in the dick. Immediately, he cries out in pain, slouching over.
Quickly, I try to side step him, reaching for my cell. My fingers graze it and I manage to pick it up, but Elijah grabs my arm, yanking me back.
I stare up at him, eyes wide as I spot anger on his face. His hand whips out, grabbing my neck as his fingers dig into my skin. I whine from the pain, slamming the bottom of my cell into the side of his head.
"Jesus fuck!" he yells, clutching his head. "What the hell is wrong with you?!"
"Me?!" I shout, bewildered, stumbling back. "What is wrong with you? Get away from me!"
